Covid-19 has laid bare the fact that the world is increasingly connected, and that no country can address long-term problems alone, said Senior Minister of State for Defence Zaqy Mohamad yesterday.
Despite the increasing pushback against multilateralism, there is a need for countries to avoid focusing on just their domestic challenges, and to instead work together so they can tackle common threats, added Mr Zaqy.
"The global community will not fully recover from this pandemic without coordinated responses to curb its spread, keep critical supply chains open and rebuild economies.
"Protectionist and unilateral actions are, ultimately, short-term solutions that would not be able to address long-term problems."
He was giving the keynote address at a forum organised by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). The 9th IISS Fullerton Forum: The Shangri-La Dialogue Sherpa Meeting is being held over two days till today at The Fullerton Hotel.
In his speech, Mr Zaqy said it is not surprising that many countries have turned inwards and focused on their domestic needs in the face of an unprecedented health crisis like Covid-19, noting that some had closed their borders and built up "protectionist barriers".
He also pointed out that even before the pandemic, there was already increasing pushback against multilateralism. However, the Covid-19 outbreak has demonstrated the importance of cooperation between countries.
Mr Zaqy sketched out three ways in which multilateralism has helped stave off the worst possible effects of the coronavirus.
The first is in technology and science. Mr Zaqy noted that countries have used technology to interact and share best practices, ranging from operational experiences to technical and medical aspects of dealing with the virus.
The second is in testing. The sharing of genetic data of Covid-19 has allowed for the fast development of diagnostic tests, said Mr Zaqy, adding that this was crucial in the early stage of the pandemic when countries were ramping up their domestic testing capabilities to detect positive cases.
And third is in the development and distribution of vaccines.
Mr Zaqy held up the multilateral Covax facility initiative, which is meant to ensure equitable vaccine access worldwide and aims to obtain and fairly distribute two billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines by the end of this year.
Amid the pandemic, issues that threaten the security of countries, such as the danger of cyber attacks and terrorism, still present a challenge for countries, he said.
To address these security threats, he suggested countries find ways to exchange best practices in areas of common interests and make arrangements to interact, train and cooperate.
He noted that even with the challenges of Covid-19, navies from 10 countries were able to safely conduct the last iteration of the Rim of the Pacific Exercise. Hosted by the United States, the biennial exercise, held in Hawaii last August, is the world's largest international maritime exercise.
Mr Zaqy urged countries to support efforts to strengthen the international order and enhance practical cooperation, which he said is important to address emerging areas like artificial intelligence.
By working together beyond national borders, governments and defence establishments can benefit their people and protect them against security threats, said Mr Zaqy.
He added: "We should continue to guard against tendencies to focus on domestic challenges to the detriment of more coordinated global responses, which remain vital to effectively tackle common security threats."
The annual IISS Fullerton Forum, which is attended by delegates from around the world, is a platform for sharing views ahead of the annual Shangri-La Dialogue, which will be held later this year.
The forum this year is being held in a hybrid format, with delegates from more than 25 countries attending here as well as virtually.
